Excavations of a waterlogged waste dump in the centre of Newcastle, United Kingdom, uncovered numerous Medieval artefacts, including pottery and bones.
The excavations were carried at the Newgate Street construction site. The finds are described by researchers as some of the richest discoveries ever in the city. Among the finds are fragments of pottery, animal bone and leather. The objects have been preserved in an ancient rubbish dump, dating back to the 12th century. A woven wood fence and the boundaries of a home running parallel to the modern street were also uncovered. A pit which was believed to have been used as an oven was also found inside the boundaries of a building.
Most of the finds came from a medieval midden or rubbish dump which contained animal bone, leather and green-glazed pottery. Archaeologist Richard Carlton from The Archaeological Practice states that there was about a metre depth of midden with organic material and filth, including several examples of animal horn neatly cut, presumably for reuse as handles or another function. The pottery finds suggest that this site was in occupation during the 12th-14th centuries, with some of the pottery potentially being from an earlier date. The artefacts will be examined by specialists before being carbon dated to pinpoint the exact time period they are from.
(after Chronicle Live)